October 24, 2010

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Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said Sunday that 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin would be a serious contender if she runs for president in 2012, but he dodged a question about whether she would make a good president.

Asked Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" whether the former governor of Alaska was strong presidential timber, Rove took a pass.

"I don't know if she runs or not and if she would be a formidable candidate. But, look, there are going to be several geological ages that are going to come and go before the 2012 Republican presidential nomination fight gels," Rove said.

"Every one of these prospective candidates, if they decide to enter the race, has strengths that they need to work on magnifying and weaknesses that they need to endeavor to overcome — or challenges that they need to overcome. And we don't know how that's going to play out," Rove said.

Rove seemed eager to avoid a reprise of the flap he found himself in recently by criticizing another tea party favorite, Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. After she won the primary, Rove publicly said she could not win in the general election but later backpedaled.

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"Rove seemed eager to avoid a reprise of the flap he found himself in recently by criticizing another Tea Party favorite, Republican Senate for New Jersey Christine O'Donnell."
O'Donnell is in Deleware, Josh

Yep, if Rove says anything bad about Silly Sarah, he will have to report at attention to Fox News Corp with an explanation. I mean was Rove right about O'Donnell? Lets see she is now down 17 points and continues to fall. I guess all the money Hannity, Limbaugh and Palin sent to O'Donnell just isn't helping.

Like Michagan, the GOP surrended Delaware withoua fight. So Rove will be proven right, O'Donnell is an extreme long shot.
Conservatives with a vision for America are a problem for the goold Ole boys like Rove.
And November 3 will tell a story.

Posted By: Like Michagan, the GOP surrended Delaware withoua fight. So Rove will be proven right, O'Donnell is | October 24, 2010 at 01:59 PM

The people who think Sarah Palin is DUMB, a FOOL, and not up to the task of being a quality candidate for POTUS, simply don't understand some simple basic principals.
First principal: Voting for POTUS is a popularity contest. What Sarah Palin has going for her is that she is NOT boring. She out works all her competitors and every time Obama is seen on the golf course, the stronger Sarah Palin grows. She is out there rebuilding the Republican Party everyday and drawing large loud crowds doing so. Of course her enemies will point out her quitting the Gov. spot to do so. She will have to overcome that issue to be elected. To her supporters Sarah Palin makes politics FUN!
2nd Principal: The American people are not looking to vote for the smartest guy in the room. They would rather vote for the hardest working person who brings the right ideas to the table. This is how Sarah Palin achieved a 93% popularity rating in Alaska. When her focus went away from Alaska her poll numbers dropped. Now her focus is on national issues and her poll numbers are gaining nationally.
Third principal: Comparison against others. Since she is not being compared on a one to one battle, but preexistent beliefs from distant candidates, it is easy to see how she would struggle. However there isn't anyone who doesn't believe she hasn't closed the gap against Joe Biden, and even John McCain since the 2008 election. When and of course IF she runs (doubtful), and is one on one with her competitors it will be their weakness that will judged for all to measure. Sarah's strengths will emerge and be weighed on an even playing field among her competitors.
If anyone believes O'Donnell is Sarah Palin, the only thing I can say about that is they simply don't understand who Sarah Palin is and her importance at this moment in our national politics. I'll demonstrate. If Sarah Palin announced tomorrow that she will go into enemy territory and give a speech at MSG she could draw 10,000 people. O'donnel would be lucky if the NY Post would show up.
Karl Rove has always been in position to promote people similar to his upbringing and simply cannot fairly judge what the American public thinks of Sarah Palin.
Palin can win. The odds are against her, because the people that are suppose to report the news fairly are deeply pedjuice against a person they have nothing in common with. Sarah Palin has proven she can succeed in an executive position as she has been there most of her adult life.

Posted By: The people who think Sarah Palin is DUMB, a FOOL, and not up to the task of being a quality candidat | October 24, 2010 at 03:52 PM

Palin will never be POTUS. She will run, because her bloated ego will not let her go home and be a mother to her kids. She has no clue how to appeal to all sides, nor does she care. She has her ideas, they are set in stone, and woe to the person who dares to disagree with her.
She left Wasilla, and then Alaska, in a financial mess. Once she announces, the truth about her will come pouring out, not from liberals (we do not see her as a threat) but from RNC leaks, tied to Dems. Her association and approval of the Alaska secessionists has never been explained. Her misuse of government dollars was excused by the three member ethics board she appointed. Yes, her approval among Alaskans was as high as 82%, but that was after she raised taxes on oil and gas, and cut even bigger checks than her residents have come to expect from government (spread the wealth, anyone?)
Palin can draw a crowd. So could Hitler. So can Obama. Drawing a crowd is very different from appealing to people NOT in your base. Governing means finding a middle ground. She can do neither, nor does she want to. "My way or the highway" is apt. It will not play outside the south (and even Alaskans don't like her.)
By the way, Rove did not say she was a 'formidable' candidate...read the first quote in the article. Do we have a Palinista writing the headline?

As I recall she left a 5 billion rainy day surplus for Alaska.Took down her own republican ethically challenged party. Pretty impressive.Unlike Obama who brought all the corrupt Chicago people to Washington, If he could have snuck Ayers in he would have, and Wright. Good Karl, yes she'll be one formidable candidate.Get ready. Strap on those booties babies. what an amazing 2 years in history coming up.

I also do not see where Rove said Palin would be a formidable candidate... it looks more like he dodged that question as well. I agree with Sally for the most part with the exception being that Palin what she can post on FaceBook or Twitter next, Palin truly does not have any "ideas" let alone any of her own ideas. Arrogance is fine when one has something - skill, experience, intelligence ... to back it up. Three critical characteristics of a strong president btw, Palin has proven herself (w/ no help from the media) that she is sub-par in all three categories. if that is what the angry mob wants, let them secede. I for one, would prefer a field of (mental) grown ups (at the very least) who decide that they will try their hand at running for POTUS. Eisenhower, Reagan... Palin??? I think NOT (I feel like even discussing that she might run we are in some alternate, MTV reality show based universe)

Posted By: Palin as POTUS? Thanks for the laugh (because the thought of that actually happening would make anyo | October 24, 2010 at 08:15 PM

sodakhic: surplus? really? ...when the former vice presidential candidate resigned as governor of Alaska in the summer of 2009, she left the state with a 70 percent debt-to-GDP ratio -- the highest state debt burden in the United States." lets not lose perspective here, Palin epitomizes the term "career politician" but hey - you want to believe this politician is great, that's your perogative.

Posted By: sodakhic: surplus? really? ...when the former vice presidential candidate resigned as governor of A | October 24, 2010 at 08:23 PM

He wasn't asked if she would make a good POTUS.
POLITICO LOVES TO MAKE STUFF UP WHEN IT COMES TO PALIN.
I WONDER IF THEY GET THEIR ORDERS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE?
I KNOW THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON MSNBC.

For those below who believe Rove didn't say that Sarah Palin would be a formidable candidate, that perfectly points to the fact that the sources you turn to to get your news LIES to you. Politico above changed the quote that Karl Rove is credited with saying above. Did Politico do it purposely? Who Knows?, but it is not the first time.
If you watch the actual interview thru a video you will see that Rove did say she would be a formidable candidate. So ask yourself why the quote reads above the way it does?
Sally I don't know where you got the 82% popularity rating. I got 93% from the recent book "Faith and Values of Sarah Palin", not exactly a pro Palin book. Sally your ideas that Sarah Palin has a bloated ego simply does not resonate with her supporters. We see a humble person who has been thrust forward by people who trust her. As far as having no clue to appeal to all sides. Do you think Obama or any present politician can do that. Obama did not get elected because of his ideas. In fact most Americans agree with Sarah Palin on nearly every issue than they do Obama. If Obama had Palin's ideas we wouldn't be talking about Sarah Palin right now. We are a center right country politically and that is where Sarah Palin stands. The media has her painted as an extremist, but reality says differently and that is why she is on the political scene.
For others to state Palin is not popular in Alaska is nonsense. To say she left Wasilla and Alaska in financial difficulty, the voters obviously disagree.
Sarah Palin largest obstacle to overcome is a seriously bias reporting media who have nothing in common with her, have an agenda to have a large Federal Gov't to make their job easier and more relevant. Americans are awakening to this fact and are beginning to actually listen to what Conservatives have to offer. Sarah Palin is a leading voice that Americans are willing to hear her out. Unfortunately she must battle the daily barrage of a negative narrative led by Google, which limits what we are reading on the web. So it is no doubt people like Sally believe Sarah Palin would be a detriment to our nation.

Posted By: For those below who believe Rove didn't say that Sarah Palin would be a formidable candidate, that p | October 26, 2010 at 01:20 PM